Abstract

Treatments (ttt) of non-epithelial rare germ cell tumors (GCT) and sex cord stromal tumors (SCST) are associated with long survival. The standard treatment mainly includes conservative surgery combined with chemotherapy (CT) [bleomycin, etoposide and cisplatin (BEP)] depending on stage and prognostic factors. As reported in testicular cancer survivors, BEP may induce late side effects with negative impact on quality of life (QOL). The French Rare Malignant Gynecological Tumors (TMRG)/GINECO case-control VIVROVAIRE Rare tumors study assessed long term QOL among survivors treated with BEP as compared to age-matched healthy women (HW). Non-epithelial ovarian cancer survivors (nEOCS), cancer-free ≥2 years after end of treatment, were identified from the INCa French Network for TMRG. HW were issued from the ‘Seintinelles’ research platform. QOL (FACT-G and FACT-O), chronic fatigue (MFI), anxiety/depression (HADS), insomnia (ISI), neurotoxicity (FACT/GOG-NTX), cognition (FACT-COG) and sexuality items (from the FACT-O OCS) were compared between nEOCS and HW. A minimal 5% difference for the score between groups was considered as clinically relevant. 144 nEOCS were included with 144 age-matched HW (mean age at inclusion: 38 yrs; 60% aged below 40). Most nEOCS were treated for GCT (n=112). Median delay from the end of ttt to inclusion was 6 yrs. At inclusion, 42% of nEOCS were menopausal versus 17% of HW (p<0.001). General and ovarian QOL, fatigue, anxiety/depression and insomnia scores were similar between nEOCS and HW. nEOCS reported clinically significant (6%) better social functioning (p=0.006). However, nEOCS reported more perceived cognitive impairment than HW (31 vs 14%, p<0.001) and clinically significant (8%) neurotoxicity (p<0.001). In addition, nEOCS reported less interest in sex (35% vs 55%, p<0.001), felt less like a woman (67% vs 81%, p=0.012), and were more afraid of not having children (31% vs 13%, p=0.007) than HW, whatever the menopausal status. 6 yrs after BEP CT, most of nEOCS reported similar global QOL as HW, but experienced more risk of premature menopause, some late side effects on cognition, neurotoxicity and sexuality that may impact their daily life.

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